60 YEARS AGO/148: A BRIEF RESPITE BEFORE THE DELUGE...

Events on 9/22/62 seemed to indicate that the Dodgers would be able to coast into the World Series. Their opponents, the St. Louis Cardinals, amassed twelve hits off Johnny Podres and Larry Sherry, but they went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position (you know...RISP!) and those missed opportunities cost them.

Tommy Davis hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning (#26), upping his RBI total to 146; the Dodgers scored four in that inning. They then were stymied by little Bobby Shantz for four scoreless innings of relief (what we like to call "heroic") but that lone offensive outburst was sufficient for them to post their 100th victory of the '62 campaign. (They would struggle mightily--and woefully--as they tried to win #101.) Final score: Dodgers 4, Cardinals 1. 

IN Houston, Juan Marichal finally returned, and the Giants were galvanized early, taking a 4-1 lead into the sixth inning. But Juan tired suddenly, loading the bases full of Colts with no one out. Bobby Bolin seemed to have stemmed the tide by inducing a double play ball off the bat of ex-Dodger Norm Larker, but Roman Mejias. Bob Aspromonte, and Merritt Ranew (another colorful character who would later figure in Jim Bouton's Ball Four) would all slap singles, bringing in the tying runs.

Willie Mays hit his 46th homer in the eighth to put SF back on top, 5-4, but Stu Miller faltered in the ninth, leaving the game with two men on and one out. Al Dark switched gears and used his starters in an attempt to close out the game, but Billy Pierce hit Jim Pendleton to load the bases. Dark then brought in Jack Sanford to face the Colts' top slugger Roman Mejias, but Houston's right fielder hit a 2-1 pitch into center field for the turnaround walkoff hit. (If the Giants had held onto this one, they'd have won the pennant outright on the final day of the season...but 'twas not to be.) Final score: Colts 6, Giants 5.

SEASON RECORDS: LAD 100-55, SFG 96-59

[records the rest of the way: LAD 2-8, SFG 7-3]